Petunia takes a stand
by slytherinsal
Summary: Vernon's reaction to having Harry dumped on the doorstep by *their kind* is predictable, and Petunia has a small epiphany over what might happen if Dudley develops magic when he is older the way Lily did. Suddenly her love for her sister is more important than her jealousy, and she takes steps to save Harry and Dudley by contacting the only person she knows in the wizarding world.


_Another of those novellas_

Chapter 1

November 1st 1982

Petunia Dursley stared at her husband in horror as she had a sudden moment of revelation.

"Vernon, Lily was born to an ordinary family. Suppose ... suppose _Dudley_ develops magical abilities when he's older?"

" _No son of mine is going to be a freak! If he tries anything freakish it will be the fault of that freak they palmed off on us!"_ he yelled. " _And I'd have to beat it out of him!"_ He was purple with rage.

"Lily got it without associating with anyone," said Petunia, greatly daring.

"You said she hung out with that little freak Snake, or whatever his name was!"

"Severus Snape. Yes, but she was doing magic before he met her."

" _DON'T say that word! There's no such thing as magic!"_ he casually backhanded her and stomped off.

Petunia knew he would go down the pub to take out his rage throwing darts, and waited for him to go. She opened the cupboard and lifted out the bruised toddler who had just been thrown in there as though he were a broken toy, and went upstairs. She packed a bag of essentials for herself, and for the boys, and took them down to the car. At least Vernon did not drive to the pub when he was planning to drink too much.

Petunia drove directly to the hospital Accident and Emergency. She was looked at sharply by the receptionist.

"My nephew may be badly hurt; my husband was in one of those moods," Petunia sighed. "He hasn't touched our son."

She was seen quickly; small children with abuse injuries were seen as a priority.

"Tell me what happened," said the doctor.

"Will you record this? I want a record for my solicitor so I can get a divorce," said Petunia.

"Certainly; it's mandatory in abuse cases," said the doctor.

"Harry ..." she modified that Harry had electrocuted her husband when he shook the child. "When my husband shook him, he peed on him and my husband threw him in the cupboard under the stairs and said he could stay in there."

"Dear God," said the medic. "When you say threw ..."

"Like a piece of garbage," whispered Petunia. "I ... he's been breathing ... Vernon is so big. I ... I tried to reason with him. He knocked me across the room."

"I see. Has he ever hit you before?"

"Not often."

"I'm getting this baby into X-ray. The nurse will photograph your wound and give you a soothing cream; there's not a lot that can be done about it, I'm afraid."

"Thank you." Petunia hugged Dudley to her as the nurse treated her, and put a dressing on her face. She was sent back to the waiting room, and shortly thereafter, a police woman came over to her.

"Mrs. Dursley? May I ask you some questions?"

Petunia sighed.

"Yes," she said, dully. She had to protect Dudley, and if Vernon would hit Harry so violently, he might turn on his own son. And ... and once she had loved Lily.

"I have no records of a Harry James Potter, the name you gave for your nephew," said the policewoman.

"Oh." Petunia sat back, puzzled. "I ... I wonder if they bothered to register him with the authorities? They were ... hippies, drop outs," she said. "He might be under Evans, my sister's maiden name; she said James Potter was her husband, but I don't know what kind of ceremony they had. For all I know they might have exchanged kisses with a rose bush."

"Ah, I see," said the policewoman. "How did you come to have care of your nephew?"

"Some of their hippy friends left him on our doorstep," said Petunia. "They said James and Lily were dead and said we were the nearest relatives and needed to take care of him. Naturally I assumed all the paperwork had been done."

"Excuse me, what makes you think this is your sister's son?"

"He has her eyes, and he looks like her husband already of course," said Petunia.

"I have to be honest with you, as there is no proof of parents, he may well be taken into care. If you become a single mother the chances of adopting him will be reduced."

"But I'm his aunt; you can't take flesh and blood away," protested Petunia, wondering why on earth she would say a thing like that when she had been as horrified as Vernon when they found the basket on their doorstep. But Harry had looked at her with Lily's eyes.

The policewoman shrugged.

"You have to agree that the child's wellbeing has to come first," she said. "I understand he will be in hospital for several days owing to your husband's attack on him. That you left your husband immediately will, I'm sure, be in your favour. Perhaps you can contact some of your sister's friends and see if there is such a thing as a birth certificate."

"This is ridiculous," said Petunia.

"I'm sorry," said the woman. "Will you be making a formal complaint and pressing charges against your husband?"

"Not unless it stops me getting a divorce easily for cruelty to avoid doing so, I'd be afraid he'd attack me in court," said Petunia.

"It's your prerogative not to press charges. You may be called as a witness for the charges the state will bring against him for child abuse. Have you anywhere to stay?"

Petunia's head was whirling. Where could she go?

Well, she needed Lily's friends and she would have to eat crow, and beg help from Lily's oldest friend, who might also help with magical documentation.

"Yes. Yes, I'll go stay with a friend in Manchester where I grew up," she said.

"Can you give me an address?"

"I'm afraid I know exactly where I'm going, but I never noticed the number when I was a child," said Petunia. "I'll be back to check on Harry when they tell me he is out of danger, but I need somewhere for Dudley."

How on earth would Severus Snape react to Dudley?

She had no choice.

It had been a long train journey, and Dudley was fractious. Petunia had taken the train rather than drive three hundred miles when she was not feeling her best, especially as Vernon would give her hell for taking the car. She took a taxi to Spinner's End, and knocked and knocked.

Finally the door was jerked open, and there he stood. Tall, dark, brooding, and surprisingly handsome, despite the ravages of a night of sobbing.

"What? _Tuney_!" he added in disgust.

"Oh please, Severus, I'm sorry, and I have nowhere else to go to beg help," said Petunia, and burst into tears.

"You'd better come in," he said, grudgingly. She followed him into the front room, shabby looking but somehow more welcoming than her own perfect dream house, and she sank into a big leather chair without being invited. Dudley was wimpering.

Severus sat down opposite her, and waved a hand, summoning a small table, and tea. He poured a cup, with a malicious look in his eyes.

Petunia did not care how the tea got there; she drank with deep relief.

"You are perturbed, Tuney. Is that Harry?"

Petunia put down her cup and wrung her hands.

"No, this is my son, Harry is in hospital," she said.

"In hospital? Why?"

"Vernon," said Petunia. "Severus, he went insane, he shook Harry, and Harry ... did some kind of magic thing that shocked him, electric shock."

"Wouldn't you if your instincts let you, if someone shook you?" asked Severus, sardonically.

"Well, yes, of course but Vernon ... threw him in the cupboard, and they told me he has numerous fractures and a bad head wound," said Petunia. "I ... I walked out as soon as Vernon had gone out, and took Harry to the hospital. And ... I know you think I'm selfish, and if I am, you have no idea how difficult it is being the _other_ child, not the favourite, but I'm scared if Dudley turns out to be a ... muggleborn wizard."

"I see," said Severus. "And what do you want of _me_ , Petunia?"

"They are planning to take Harry from me and put him in care because I can't prove who he is," said Petunia. "Doesn't that negate the blood wards Dumbledore wrote about?"

"Not knowing what the man wrote, I cannot say," said Severus.

"He said that as Harry's closest relative he could put up blood wards to stop that evil wizard getting him or us, and I thought, ok, when I've divorced Vernon, Dumbledore can put wards back."

"I see," said Severus. "What did your sister's will say?" He swallowed a sob.

"I don't know," said Petunia. "Oh Severus! Why didn't you marry her, not that show-off arrogant twat? At least I'd have known you!"

To his shame, tears poured from Severus' eyes again.

And Petunia, realising how much she was missing her sister, joined him, and they sobbed until Dudley's wails made Petunia sit up and pick him up from his tripper.

"That boy has been fed badly; if you feed him like that he'll die of a heart attack before he's twenty," said Severus.

Petunia paled.

"Really? Vernon said he's just big-boned, that it couldn't do any harm."

"He's abusing his own son already then," said Severus. "Very well, Petunia, I'll make up the guest bed for you, and in the morning we will go to Gringotts to see what can be done about keeping Harry safe. I failed to keep Lily safe. I ... I swear I will do what I can to keep the rest of her family safe, but I'm not counting that smug self-satisfied whale of a husband of yours in that."

"No, I made a terrible mistake, thinking he was so normal and so promising," said Petunia.

"What are you doing these days?" Petunia asked Severus.

"I'm supposed to go back to Hogwarts as potion master come September next," said Severus. "I make a living making stuff for apothecaries if you mean can I keep you. And ... hell, Petunia, I spy for Dumbledore against the Dark Lord, so this is a hell of a risk for you and the boys if his followers find out. He's supposed to be dead, but there's a lot Dumbledore isn't saying. I ... he gave me a second chance."

"What do you mean?"

"I ... well I suppose it doesn't matter, you don't like me anyway. James Potter and his friends made my life hell at school and when Lily helped me, I called her 'mudblood' because I was so ashamed I needed a girl to rescue me, and she ... she didn't forgive me. So ... I joined the Dark Lord because he at least flattered me and said he needed my skills with potions. It was immature, and I was a twat, all right?"

"Oh Severus!" Petunia stared at him. "But ... you broke away?"

"In a manner of speaking. I still have this," he rolled up his left sleeve. "It's faded since Harry bounced the killing curse, but it's still there. He isn't dead. And my best friend is a death eater too and I'm godfather to his son. All I can hope is that Lucius is prepared to step away now he has a son to care for. He can be arrogant, but he was kind to me at school ... it's why I followed him in following the Dark Lord. But we'll get Harry's protection sewn up right and tight."

"I suppose we all make mistakes," said Petunia. "I made a mistake with Vernon, and one or two letters from Lily suggest she wondered at times about James. Well, the children are my priority."

"Lily's son is mine, but I will extend that if you are prepared to be good to him, and accept that he is a wizard."

"I will; you have no idea how much I wanted to be a witch like Lily. To have my parents proud of me for what I could do."

"Petunia, for what it's worth, I am sure your parents were proud of you for your other talents. My father was like your Vernon, however, and he hated me for being magical."

"Is that why you always cringed from men?"

"Yes. And Ma gave up using magic pretty soon, at least in front of him. It killed her in the end; people who are magical who deny their powers have terrible troubles, because the magic bursts out in weird ways, like blood disease, or exploding themselves."

"Would that have happened to Harry or Dudley if Vernon stopped them using it?"

"Possibly, yes," said Severus. "Are you ready to go to Gringotts?"

"You have a car, or are we going by train?"

"We're going by floo to Diagon Alley, Petunia," said Severus.

Chapter 2

Petunia had never travelled by floo, and was most surprised by the experience, but Severus did not give her time to think about the experience. He pushed Dudley's buggie dragging Petunia along in the wake of his long-legged stride. There appeared to be street parties going on.

"What are they celebrating?" she asked.

"The death of Voldemort, the dark lord," sneered Severus. "They celebrate that your sister's death saved her son, by some kind of old magic, and call the boy 'The Boy-Who-Lived,' discounting that his parents died, betrayed by their best friend. I cannot find myself willing to celebrate, when I know that the nasty creature is not truly dead, however he achieved that, and that it killed Lily."

"I ... I see," said Petunia.

She worked hard on not staring at the odd, olive-skinned, long-nosed creatures in the intimidating edifice which was the bank. Severus strode up to the counter.

"I'm acting on behalf of the muggle aunt of Harry Potter," he said. "She has a right to see her sister's will and any paperwork which would enable her to retain guardianship of her nephew, since the muggle authorities seem to want to take him to an orphanage."

"We can't have that!" said the shocked-looking goblin. "I'll get Griphook, Mr. Snape: he handles the Potter accounts."

Griphook led Petunia and Severus to an office where goblins were busy bringing files.

"I'm glad you are here in person, Mrs. Dursley," he said. "In accordance with the will, Dumbledore had no right to leave Mr. Potter with you, but I am sure that you and Mr. Snape will come to an equitable arrangement and I will be glad to draw up a legal document covering it."

"What do you mean?" asked Petunia. "Dumbledore said my blood would protect Harry."

Griphook made a rude noise.

"There are more effective goblin runic wardings than that out of date druidic twaddle," he said. "Adding a layer of blood magic to the wardings would help, but we are capable of undertaking that. Are you staying with Mr. Snape?"

"I don't know," said Petunia.

"If you can ward my house sufficiently to protect her, her son and Harry, yes," said Severus. "Voldemort isn't dead."

"Of course he isn't; do you see us goblins celebrating?" said Griphook, scornfully. "Mr. Potter is, we believe, the inadvertent recipient of one of his horcruxes."

"Did you just say that out loud and mean it?" said Severus, paling.

"I did and I did."

"What is he talking about?" asked Petunia.

"As I understand it," said Severus, "If you split your soul by committing murder, you may store the splinter in a prepared vessel. Or if part of the dark lord is stored in Harry, in an unprepared vessel."

Petunia paled.

"Doesn't that make any wards irrelevant if Harry can be got at from inside himself? Is that what his scar is?"

"Mrs. Dursley, may I say I don't usually meet such clear comprehension from a well trained wizard, let alone a muggle," said Griphook. "The answer is yes; and no. But we goblins are skilled in curse removal, and I am sure we shall be able to remove a horcrux without damaging Harry, when you bring him to us."

"Even more reason to sort out the paperwork," growled Severus. "The wills?"

Griphook handed them over, and Severus held the parchment so that Petunia could read along with him.

He was stunned. James Potter acknowledged Lily's friendship and suggested him as third godfather, should anything happen to Sirius and Remus, and Lily reiterated that, with a request that Remus and Severus should make sure Sirius was an adequate guardian and step in if he was being too childish. She added,

"Though I cannot see my sister, Petunia, changing enough to want to care for my child, if she does so, I accept her as a guardian so long as she is no longer with Vernon Dursley." There was an addition that in the event of these people being unavailable, Harry should go to the Longbottoms.

"Do you accept guardianship of Harry James Potter, Petunia née Evans, and do you eschew Vernon Dursley?" asked Griphook.

"I do, to both," said Petunia.

She gasped as a waft of magic arose from Lily's will and surrounded her, a sweet smell of flowers and the feeling of a summer breeze comforting her.

"The guardianship is established," said Griphook. "And by our laws you're divorced as well. Severus Tobias Snape, do you accept guardianship?"

"I so do," said Severus, and a similar waft surrounded him.

"Does that make us married?" asked Petunia, facetiously.

"It would be wise if you were married, even if only a marriage of convenience," said Griphook, surprising her. "It means that Mr. Snape can adopt your son formally and by blood to help keep him safe."

"Those antiquated blood rituals you were dismissive about?" asked Severus, with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, not all blood rituals are antiquated, Mr. Snape, although they are all ancient," said Griphook. "The blood sacrifice which Mrs. Potter used to protect Mr. Harry Potter from the killing curse is an ancient family rite she must have learned from a pureblood witch, passing it down from time immemorial. It is witchly magic and few wizards understand it. However to stretch it to cover blood wards is dodgy at the best and dangerous at the worst; even a slight teenage tantrum and the thought that everyone hates him, as is not uncommon in teenagers, could cause the wards to tumble if the youngster does not think of the place of residence as his home. Very dodgy, and not worthy of Dumbledore. What was he up to, I wonder?"

"I presume that Sirius Black has been arrested, and of course as a werewolf, Remus is ineligible," said Severus.

"Yes, and sent to Azkaban without trial," said Griphook.

"Without trial?" Severus stiffened.

"Yes. And isn't it interesting that no suggestion was made that their other friend should be a guardian?" said Griphook.

"Very," said Severus. "Though Peter can scarcely wave bye-bye and tie his laces without James' wand up his arse."

Griphook permitted himself a thin smile.

"Graphic, Mr. Snape. We goblins have reason to believe that there was a switch of secret keeper. Do you, as Mr. Potter's legal magical guardian give permission to follow that up?"

"I do," said Severus. "I loathe Sirius Black, but nobody should go to Azkaban without trial."

"Very well. I take it that you will take the cost of warding your house from the Potter estate, as it is for Mr. Potter's benefit?"

"If there's enough. How much did he leave?"

Griphook laughed.

"Now I know you are the perfect guardian. You checked for who should care for the boy and didn't bother to read that he inherits some nineteen million galleons."

"Powers! That makes him richer than Lucius," said Severus.

"The stipend which was paid to Vernon and Petunia Dursley will be paid to you, Mr. Snape, and of course to Mrs. Snape on your solemnising of your wedding."

"This doesn't feel real," said Petunia.

"No," said Severus. "Don't worry, Petunia, it will be in name only, for the protection of the boys."

Chapter 3

Severus knew all the appropriate hoops to jump through to arrange for Harry's birth certificate to turn up, and a copy of a will purporting to be Lily's, leaving her son in the care of her only sister. A death certificate was duly arranged for Lily and for James, showing that they had been victims of the terrorist attack which killed eleven other people, and for which Sirius Black was being held responsible by the magical law enforcement, and which was unsolved so far as the muggle fuzz were concerned.

Petunia also filed for divorce, and Severus confunded her solicitor to hurry it up as far as possible, because of the safety aspect to the children in the case. Theoretically Vernon could contest the reason given but as there were hospital reports and the police were involved, and his unreasonable behaviour was violence towards minors, this was sorted out right away. It would be six weeks to the decree absolute, and the solicitor suggested a restraining order on Vernon. Severus was disappointed to find out that this merely meant that Vernon was not allowed to approach Petunia or either of the boys and did not involve being hanged in chains.

Then they headed for the hospital.

The doctor looked grave when they visited Harry.

"Your nephew had multiple fractures, and a head wound which we have been unable to deal with. Fearing a depressed fracture, we operated immediately, but the baby threw off the anaesthesia and reacted so violently we feared for his life. Somehow he broke equipment causing a short."

"Is ... is it going to kill him?" asked Petunia.

"Not immediately, but it would be as well to continue to monitor it yearly," said the doctor. "You can take him home tomorrow so long as he is nowhere near the man that did this."

"I'm an old family friend; I'm assuming responsibility for both boys," said Severus. "I'm Harry's godfather as well."

"Ah, excellent," said the doctor.

Petunia waited until they were out of the hospital.

"Was that the horcrux? And wassisface fighting back?"

"Yes," said Severus. "We need to get Harry proper magical healing and the goblin ritual as soon as possible. What was Dumbledore thinking of, going against James and Lily's wishes, and leaving a horcrux in a baby?"

"I don't know, but suddenly I don't like him or trust him at all," said Petunia. "I stopped liking him when he wrote me such a patronising letter about not being able to attend Hogwarts. As I understand it from Lily's homework, I could at least have studied Arithmancy and Runes, and learned to be an ambassador, but he wrote to me as though I was a moronic child with no understanding."

"The problem is that a lot of wizards believe that all muggles are like moronic children with no understanding," said Severus.

"Why? We're no less intelligent," said Petunia.

"You know that, and I know that, though one of the things that made me join the death eaters was that my father really was that moronic," said Severus. "And Vernon isn't exactly a good example."

"Teach me," said Petunia. "Teach me the things I can learn, and if I can get qualifications as an out-student, it will show them."

"It will," said Severus. "I'm also going to teach you Potions, or try to. I cannot believe that so powerful a witch as Lily can have a sister who doesn't have some magic. I didn't need to perform any enchantments to let you see Diagon Alley in its full glory, or to see goblins as goblins, I could see you registering shock and controlling it. I wouldn't mind betting there's a range of people between true muggle and magical, and I wonder how many squibs could also do more if they were helped."

"Squibs?"

"People born to the magical with no magical ability. It's considered shameful to have squib children, but I think that's as stupid as those muggles who are ashamed of having magical children. I'm really sorry your parents went too much the other way and didn't celebrate your talents as well."

Petunia flushed.

"I went rather out of my way to avoid having any so I could sulk," she said. "I used to be musical."

"Well, that's something we might squeeze some magic out of as well," said Severus. "I say, Tuney, I've been teaching myself a forgotten art, chanting, perhaps we can work on it together!"

"I'd like that," said Petunia. "Sev?" his face suddenly went bleak.

"I ... I forgot for a moment that Lily was dead, I was thinking we could surprise her," he said.

Petunia gave him an awkward hug.

"Yeah," she said. "Will there be a funeral? Nobody sent me an invitation."

"There will; I'll take you if we can borrow an elf to look after the boys."

"An elf?"

"Good grief. Look, they are essentially slaves, but most of them like it that way, so respect them, okay?"

"If you say so. I have a lot to learn."

"I'll teach you all you need, Tuney."

The next day, they collected Harry, and apparated directly to Diagon Alley. Petunia almost fell over, and heaved a few times.

"Sorry. It gets easier with practice," said Severus, hustling her into the bank with the buggy, Harry in his arms with plaster casts on his poor little limbs.

Griphook met them and they were shown to an inner sanctum with the feel of a temple.

"What muggle rubbish is this?" asked Griphook.

"The muggle non-rubbish that enables people to heal at all from broken bones because your magical types do not have the courtesy to move amongst us openly sharing your superior abilities," said Petunia, with asperity.

"I like your bride, she makes no distinction between goblins and human wizards," said Griphook.

"Not sure there is a lot, except in custom and magical tradition," said Severus, with a shrug. "Except I have a strong suspicion that Goblin moral fibre may be stronger than human."

"We weed out those who are morally unstable," said Griphook.

Severus felt his blood run cold; but then, if Voldemort had been weeded out, a lot of heartbreak might have been avoided. It was a better reason than for some of the extraordinary reasons the muggle Nazis had given for weeding out members of the population.

Griphook vanished the muggle plasters, making sure Harry was held immobile without them, and Severus was impressed.

"Your wandless magic is incredible," he said.

Griphook gave a feral grin.

"This is why wizards do not want goblins to bear wands," he said. "Our wandless magic can be incredible. What they forget, or have not learned, is that we all have similar magical cores, and that any wizard or witch trained from childhood to channel their core without a wand would be capable of similar feats, if they have the magical strength. The wand is a focus, but the mind can be a focus too, if trained. We would be no more powerful than any wizard with a wand, which is to say, as powerful as each of us is, with the addition of the crutch of a wand. It enhances the weak, and in my opinion inhibits the strongest."

"That's an interesting point of view," said Severus. "And as broad a hint as any I've heard to teach the boys wandless magic. If Dudley has any."

"If you planned to adopt them by blood, it would guarantee waking any residual magic in him," said Griphook. "As would a magical binding ceremony waken any in your wife, but a binding ceremony is not to be entered lightly."

"No; and we were not friendly as children, and are still feeling our way around each other," said Severus. "A marriage of convenience and adoption of the boys will do well for now."

"Do you want to get married right away?"

"No!" Severus snapped. "It ... it seems disrespectful of Lily."

Griphook cocked his head on one side.

"Don't you think she would want her sister protected in the magical world?" he asked.

Severus was conflicted.

"I ... well as it is a marriage of convenience ..." he said. "But her divorce ..."

"She's divorced by goblin law; she has eschewed her former husband. He's lucky, though, because in Goblin divorces that might not end with his survival," said Griphook.

"I think I like Goblin customs," said Petunia.

Griphook called in a goblin medical specialist to heal Harry's bones, then motioned Severus and Petunia to silence as he began a sonorous chant.

Harry screamed in agony, and Severus held Petunia to stop her rushing forward. A Goblin came forward and wrote some rapid runes around Dudley.

"In case it seeks another vessel," he said. Petunia covered her mouth with her hands in horror, and the goblin added runes about her, too.

And then a puff of dark smoke issued from the scar on Harry's head, and a crystal sphere was summoned to suck it into itself and contain it.

"You know what to do," Griphook gave it to one of his assistants, who nodded and took the sphere away, holding it in tongs. Harry whimpered, and fell asleep.

Next, Severus and Petunia found themselves being married, and as a part of the ceremony, they each had to cut their palms to bleed into a goblet.

"This is the basis for the adoption draught," explained Griphook. "When it is activated, we will feed it to the boys. There may be some physical changes to make them more like the parent they are not closely related to already."

"Well, Severus scrubs up nicely these days," said Petunia. "It wasn't his fault he looked like a scarecrow when he was a kid."

"No; and we'll dress both the boys appropriately," said Severus, sharply.

And then the boys were given their adoption draughts, and Severus had a feeling that he had been pushed through several ceremonies over which wizards would make a song and dance, and which Goblins treated as routine. And he had a wife and two sons barely three days since he had lost the woman he loved more than life itself. All for the sake of her son.

Perhaps it was just as well he had been shuffled through the processes like so many muggle bureaucratic procedures, or he might have broken out of the surreality of being married to Petunia and screamed.

But he had a job to do; care for Harry and not permit Dudley to be jealous and spoil their relationship.

And that meant getting to know them. And Severus knew nothing about small children.

Chapter 4

Severus was playing on the mat with the boys, building a tower out of bricks. This involved carefully hovering the bricks into place with magic, something as challenging to Severus as it was to Dudley, who loved being able to summon his toys to him, but who was having trouble with control. Harry had no problems at all lining up bricks. Severus was about to suggest a building session using hands, so they did not lose hand-eye coordination, when his mantleshelf clock chimed suddenly.

It was keyed to the wards on his floo, and meant someone was trying to contact him. Severus had invented the ward himself, to require his active opening of the fire with his own floo powder before it worked.

"Quick, boys, hide and seek!" he said. "Off you pop and hide, and I'll come and find you."

They obediently toddled off, Petunia following as he shooed her away, whilst gathering every last brick into a box behind the sofa.

He threw floo powder into the fire, only to see Albus Dumbledore on the other side.

"Severus! Where have you been?"

"D ...drinking," said Severus, in a slurred voice. "Lily's dead, old man. You didn't keep her safe."

"Snap out of it, Severus! I need you alert; Harry has disappeared!"

"Green eyes like his mother," slurred Severus, trying to look maudlin. Apparently he succeeded.

"You're disgusting," said Dumbledore.

"Sir, I am disgusting. I am also drunk. You, however, are a manipulative old coot, but in the morning, I at least will be sober," said Severus, falling sideways and snoring loudly.

"And a lot of good you are you sentimental idiot," said Dumbledore, cutting the connection.

Petunia came forward from the door, laughing peal after peal of mirth.

"Severus, that was brilliant, I never knew you were that good an actor," she said.

"One of the things you learn fast when you're a spy," said Severus. "And here's to Winston Churchill whose lines I couldn't resist paraphrasing to insult the old bugger. You're right about him. I thought he had given me everything by giving me a second chance, but all he did was to imprison me with vows. Vows I'm happy to keep, in keeping Harry safe, and to add to in keeping you and Dudley safe. You're nicer than you were."

"I had a sudden view of what it would be like for my little boy in a family that detested magic if he was like Lily," said Petunia. "It shook my world view. You're less aggressive."

"I'm not, not really. I just know how to channel passive aggressive, and mostly to keep my temper because I know it's destructive," said Severus. "And somehow I can be more open and honest to you because we share Lily."

Petunia nodded.

"Shall we go find our hidden imps?" she asked.

"Yes, and when they've been well tickled we'll make treacle tart to celebrate fooling Dumbledore," said Severus. "I sense he wants Harry kept ... limited."

"Why?"

"He fears the horcrux in him, I suspect," said Severus. "And that the dark lord could manifest through it."

"Why leave it in, then?"

"Possibly because he's too arrogant to realise that there may be things he doesn't know, and so hasn't asked the goblins; and partly because he wants Harry to grow up thinking that Dumbledore is Santa Clause, Merlin and Gandalf all rolled into one, the only grown up who is nice to him, after a terrible childhood with Vernon, and through whom Dumbledore hopes to control Voldemort."

Petunia shuddered.

"And he's the good guy?"

"I am beginning to think that Albus operates under some belief involving what he calls 'the greater good' in which the end justifies the means," he said. "And it's our job to keep Harry safe from him as well as from Voldemort and any stray death eaters. And tomorrow I shall visit my other godson and sound out Lucius."

oOoOo

"Lucius, I'll come straight to the point," Severus said, when he floo'd to Malfoy Manor. "Are you celebrating freedom from slavery to a dippy megalomaniac, or mourning your beloved master?"

Lucius regarded him warily.

"I've got a son, Severus, do you think I really want to see him writhe under the cruciatus curse for the least infraction? At least I've kept Narcissa out of his eyeline, but Draco will be something else when he comes back. And he will. Narcissa visited Bellatrix in Azkaban and she was gloating that she has care of a part of his soul."

"A horcrux? Well, in that case, Lucius, as Cissie is a free member of the Black family, arrange power of attorney over Bella's vault, and ask the goblins to destroy it. They know how."

"They do? And how do you know ..."

"I know more than you realise, Lucius, and I am willing to guess there's one somewhere in your house too. Do you really want Draco finding it and being possessed?"

Lucius swore without repeating himself in several languages, some of which had only been dead for a millennium or so.

"That's what it was, was it? That battered old diary he told me to guard with my life?"

"More than likely," said Severus. "Take it to the goblins. If he comes back before we find out if he has any more, at least you'll have credit for working against him."

"Would we win, if we worked against him?"

"How would you like to have a hand in making sure that the best weapon against him was forged?"

"I don't put my faith in weapons."

"Even when the weapon is Harry Potter?"

"Talk fast."

"I am his magical guardian having wrested that from Dumbledore. His aunt is now my wife. I need help because I have no idea how to raise magical offspring like Harry and his cousin Dudley. I hoped you and Narcissa would help me and help see he learns enough to keep himself safe until he's old enough to finish off Voldemort."

Lucius shuddered at the mention of the name.

"You are very good, Severus," he drawled. "Appealing to my sense of enlightened self interest. Very well. But give me time to talk to Narcissa; she loves Bellatrix very much."

"Bellatrix, poor thing, is not sane," Severus said. "Appeal to the idea that with him gone, there might be a chance to appeal for clemency and then cure her."

Lucius considered.

"I don't see much chance of curing her, but ... yes, it might work," he said. "She was quite cute in a spoilt sort of way, at school."

"Before her hobbies involved pulling the wings off fairies and the legs off muggles," said Severus, dryly.

Lucius pulled a face.

"It's ... we've all done things that set part of us screaming inside," he said.

"The old book, have you ever ... spent time with it?"

He looked guilty.

"I may have written in it, and been glad to be answered by Tom Riddle; that's the name of our master."

"NOT our master. The name of the megalomaniac we are shot of. Lucius, has there ever been a pure blood family called 'Riddle'?"

He looked aghast.

"No ..."

"Give me the damn book and I'll take it to the goblins now," said Severus.

"No! I ..."

"Lucius, give me the damn book or I'll legilimens you and stupefy you and take it," said Severus.

Lucius went sulkily to a picture and removed it to reveal a muggle-style safe. He opened it.

"I ... will you give it back later?" he held on to it.

"No. Give it to me," said Severus, conjuring dragonhide gloves.

Somehow the shock of seeing that precaution had Lucius handing over a small black journal, with the words 'property of Tom M Riddle' on it.

Severus floo'd to Diagon Alley, and ran into Gringotts.

"I have another," he said.

Griphook leaped forward with tongs.

"Where was it?"

"Lucius Malfoy gave it to me; he's bringing his wife to open her sister's vault to find another," said Severus.

Griphook's ears went up.

"If Slippery Lucius will change sides we have a better chance," he said. "Well done, Mr. Snape."

Severus floo'd back to Malfoy Manor, and beheld Lucius cuddling a house elf. Both were crying real tears.

"I missed something?" said Severus.

"You missed what that evil little fuckwit did to me," said Lucius. "I've been abusing Dobby here since I had that sodding book, the elf who brought me up! And I'm furious!"

"Good," said Severus. "Use that fury to get Narcissa on your side, and to train our three boys. And can I use your library to help teach my wife enough to get a few OWLs and NEWTs?"

"She's a muggle!" protested Lucius.

"And you hate muggles because Tom Riddle told you to," said Severus. "Now what about proving she can get OWLs and NEWTs in arithmancy and runes? And maybe in Potions?"

"If she can do that, I'll believe all I was taught by my family was as much crap as V – Voldemort's lies," said Lucius. "Severus, I owe you and it's a bigger debt than a life debt."

"We're friends; we help each other," said Severus. "But if I could borrow a house elf, I'd be grateful. I need help with the physical needs of two toddlers."

"Of course you do!" Said Lucius. "Tassa!"

A female house elf appeared and bowed.

"Tassa, meet Mr. Severus Snape," said Lucius. "You are on loan to him for as long as he needs you. You may visit whenever you wish, so long as it does not interfere with your duties to Mr. Snape."

"Master Severus Snape needs Tassa?"

"I have twin sons who are not yet two," said Severus. Tassa nodded.

"Master Severus Snape does need Tassa."

Chapter 5

"Can we change Dudley's name?" Petunia asked.

"Pardon?" Severus was taken aback.

"It was Vernon's choice, and having heard so many graceful names in the Wizarding world, he'll be ashamed of it when he's growing up."

She had a point, thought Severus.

"He knows his name, though," he said.

"Yes, but we call him both at once for a while and then drop Dudley," suggested Petunia.

"That could work, really well," said Severus.

"Good. Have you a family name you think would be good?"

Severus considered, regarding Dudley.

"I'm not lumbering the poor brat with Tiberius," he said. "I ... what about Marcus?"

"Marcus ... I like that. Harry and Marcus Snape."

Severus blinked suddenly, not having considered Harry's surname changing.

"Why not?" he said.

"And Petunia is less outlandish in the wizarding world, as well," said Petunia. "Lily was fine in both, but I was the one stuck in the muggle world with a name that would be fine for a witch."

"Well, if we ever consummate the marriage, we shan't call a daughter Aspidistra," smirked Severus, then blushed. Petunia blushed too.

"If we _did_ ever consummate the marriage and had children, I'm happy to continue my family tradition of flower names," she said.

"Then let it be so," said Severus. "With Lucius making it seem that Harry is dead, I think we shall massage that as well, to Hadrian."

"Two Roman emperors in the family? Poor Dud ... Marcus."

"Marcus Aurelius may have only been a general but he was father to Merlin."

"Oh, fair enough."

oOoOo

Albus was on the floo again.

"I trust you are sober, now?" he asked, icily.

"Unfortunately, yes," said Severus.

"I hope you are sober enough to remember that the wards fell and that Harry Potter is missing?" said Albus, icily.

"Oh, I am, Albus. I note that you are not mentioning that not only is Harry Potter missing, but so is his aunt and his cousin, and that his uncle is in prison for child abuse," said Severus.

"What?" Albus paled.

"Apparently the walrus attacked Harry the moment he opened the door and found him, and put Petunia in hospital for protesting," said Severus. He had been doing a little record manipulating with Lucius's help and suggestion. "When they discovered what had once been Harry Potter in the cupboard where his uncle had thrown him in a rage, they arrested him. Only nobody actually checked if there was another infant in the house; children die so quickly of dehydration. I couldn't find out if any of them were alive or dead, sane or insane."

"And you knew about this?"

"And you blame me for getting ratarsed? You were so sure you were right, I had enough of being crucio'd by Voldemort if I had the wrong or an incomplete answer, I wasn't sure if you'd do the same."

Albus broke the connection with almost a flounce.

oOoOo

Hadrian didn't stick as a name; Harry suited Harry all too well, but at least he was officially Hadrian Snape, and as such would appear in the Hogwarts book of all scholars. There would doubtless be all hell to pay when Albus found out, but at least Harry would be safe until then. And he did not look in the least bit like James Potter, since he had his eyes seen to the moment that it appeared that he had a problem, and he liked to wear his hair long like his daddy. And most of all, he had no scar.

Albus of course discovered that Severus had married, but thanks to the goblins had not found his wife's name. He aired this at an Order meeting; he wanted to lash out at someone.

"So much for your vaunted adoration of Lily," he said. "You had a woman stashed away all this time and had children with her whilst professing your devotion."

Severus gave him a fishy stare.

"I married a woman who had lost all her family to death eaters save her two sons," he said. "Which I did in memorial to Lily, since I know she would have wanted me to raise magical muggleborn boys if I could not help her own son. Hadrian and Marcus are both exhibiting accidental magic already."

"Oh, Severus, that's lovely, Lily would be so proud of you," gushed Molly Weasley. Severus allowed himself a small, sad smile.

"I don't know if feelings will grow between us or not," he said. "However, at the moment, my wife has no more interest in a physical relationship than I do, unless some manipulative old coot can't bear the idea of her snatching some happiness and stability from disaster and invokes old laws about consummation."

"I don't know what you mean, Severus," said Albus.

"Yes you do," said Severus. "You are looking for someone to blame for not having listened to me telling you what sort of man Vernon Dursley was, many years ago, and you would like to have me punished for your own failure to keep Harry Potter safe, and it wouldn't occur to you what that would do to the helpless muggle I married and her children."

"Oh, surely Albus would never do anything so wicked!" said Molly.

 _That's whipped the carpet out from under his feet,_ thought Severus. _If Molly declares it wicked, and is on my side, then that's one up to me._

"Careful, Severus; does this poor girl know you are a deatheater?" asked Albus. "Azkaban still hangs over you."

"She knows I'm an ex deatheater," said Severus. "And as I'm a known member of the order, I can't see why Azkaban should ever be on the cards without some malicious person going out of their way to alter records, can you? I know there are malicious people in the ministry, or why would Sirius Black be sent without trial to Azkaban, but I would hope that those who are determined to kill off every member of the Potter family and its adherents are not really so capable."

"Well, there are people who would protest you being in charge of children," said Albus. "Your father was abusive, and people might think you would revert to type."

"Nonsense, Albus, I'm sure Severus will make an excellent job of it," said Molly. "He has his father as an excellent bad example. Bullies only run in families if those who are abused aren't strong-minded enough to break away, and anyone who can break away from You-Know-Who is strong minded. You must bring your boys to the Burrow, Severus, dear, to play with my younger ones."

"Thank you, Molly, we shall do so," said Severus.

He had already taken the boys to play with Draco, and Lucius had questioned Petunia, and found her quick witted enough to begin revising his ideas on muggles, if Severus saw worth in her. And Petunia would never make the best potions in the world, but there was enough latent magic to get a result. No amount of stirring would make a potion from a true muggle, and Petunia was delighted.

"I suppose I won't need you teaching, after all," sighed Dumbledore. Severus shrugged.

"I can make more, brewing freelance," he said. "It's a matter of indifference to me."

Albus regarded him narrowly.

"I think you should come and spend some time dealing with other children," he said. "It would be good for you." He had tried to access the Potter account and was told it was still being held for the owner. Severus had slipped up; Harry Potter was still alive, somewhere. But it would be as well not to let him know. He was probably in some Muggle orphanage, and that would leave him sufficiently unloved and isolated for Albus to be a saviour for him when the time came. They would have renamed him, however, in the absence of any evidence of a name, so any supposed muggleborn in the book were to be examined with interest.

Severus shrugged.

"As you wish. I will want time to visit my wife and children, however; it is not right that they should be without a father figure all through the term of a boarding school. I would like my classes scheduled intensively so I can take a full day off midweek, since as you intimated that I am to be head of Slytherin, I will need to be there for my little snakes at the weekend. And I will reserve the right to take time off during such things as quidditch matches."

"Oh very well," Albus was grumpy about it. "I must drop in and meet your charming wife and children."

Severus smiled. He had anticipated this, and had worked out a plan with Griphook to use some of the Potter estate to invest in real estate. His family would do frequent flittings, as he called it in his northern idiom, and only Griphook and Lucius would know exactly where they were. Meanwhile, Griphook was investigating the possibility of hiring a Parselmouth from India, where the skill was held in great esteem, as the goblins believed there was a Parseltongue component in the Dark Mark, so that he and Lucius could have their marks removed. Griphook had said that making Harry Potter's father safe would be a legitimate call on the Potter wealth. By the time Albus found out, Severus hoped that he and Lucius would both have clean left arms, and a record for helping find dark objects to be destroyed. Meanwhile, Sirius Black had been released from Azkaban and was in the care of St Mungo's, where it seemed likely he would be spending the rest of his days when he discovered through a carelessly left Daily Prophet that his godson was missing, presumed dead.

Severus wondered whether to visit Sirius and inform him that it was Dumbledore who had let him go to jail and who wanted him kept insane, and to allow him access to Harry. It was a risk, though; Black could not be trusted not to shoot his mouth off. Best to let sleeping dogs lie, thought Severus, with heavy irony. Lupin had already caved in and hanged himself, but then, that was not surprising. Severus had no great opinion of Lupin's ability to cope without the reassurance that he was caring for his Alpha's pup. He pitied the werewolf as much as he feared him, but he was not about to lose sleep over the choices made by others. Lupin was adult, and his life was his own.

Chapter 6

It was on one of the flittings that Harry and Marcus came running home to tell their parents that they had met a girl who was a witch. Severus and Petunia arranged to meet up with Dr. and Dr. Granger to explain that the unexplained occurrences had a good scientific basis if you factored in Magic as an energy field which most people cannot tap. Dr. Granger was a little sceptical until his wife dug him in the ribs and said,

"And I can grow beautiful tomatoes and you kill everything except weeds by looking at them; and you have no scientific theory to cover green and brown thumbs either."

Once Severus had demonstrated reproducible magic, Hermione started going to Malfoy Manor as well, to take lessons with Draco and the Snape boys, as Petunia gained more and more knowledge of theoretical magic. Hermione was finding that with friends other than books, she could question the written word, which Severus encouraged. Narcissa took over teaching wizarding etiquette, to Petunia as well as to the children, and thawed when she found Petunia was a quick study, and worth introducing to friends of high social worth if little interest, as Petunia was as accomplished on harpsichord, transferring the skill from piano, as any lady of culture, and indeed better than most. And the calming tunes she and Severus had been researching kept things from becoming ugly even with the most disparate personalities.

The children cared little for social niceties and more for chatting to snakes outside, or stealing cookies with wandless magic so the house elves didn't even notice.

"They are a nice little group," said Petunia.

Severus laughed.

"Do you get the impression, Pet, that Harry and Marcus are as smitten by chocolate brown eyes with gold flecks as I was with green ones?"

"They do appear pretty smitten," agreed Petunia. "Do Harry's eyes still cause you pain?"

"No; they're Harry's own eyes," said Severus, who had been rather nauseated by Molly mentioning how one of his boys could almost have been Lily's son, save for not having a scar. "I confess, Pet, I'm starting to be more affected by eyes the colour of autumnal sunshine on the leaves of a forest floor."

Petunia's eyes widened, and somehow they were kissing.

"If we do the bonding I could be your true partner," said Petunia.

"Yes," said Severus. "And now, I want to do it."

"Will ... will you like more children?"

"Ours, yes," said Severus. "I'm sure none of ours would be dunderheads."

Petunia giggled.

"And that's why we have a selection of abused children to stay over the summer holidays, because they are such dunderheads?"

"Albus fails them; he likes to be clear of the school over the summer, and that means he ignores the needs of those who come from abusive families like Marcus Flint, and some of the muggleborn whose families are not as good as the Grangers. And at least Dan and Emma have agreed to take some of them for some of the time, and Lucius has agreed to take others. And nobody can accuse a man without the dark mark of attempting to corrupt them."

"I'm so glad you found a parselmouth," she said.

"More to the point, it's handy to know ahead of time that Harry is one," said Severus. "And he's teaching Marcus, Draco and Hermione. I suspect Hermione will get there first."

"I'd like to learn too; I seem to be good at languages," said Petunia.

"You are, Pet, you are," said Severus. "And that bit of rune work you did for me to improve Wolfsbane was very solid. I feel bad about Remus Lupin committing suicide over Harry, but he was too erratic to let in on the secret, like Sirius Black. But I can help other werewolves instead."

"You're a good man, Sev," said Petunia. "And I'm glad you taught the squib at school how to brew."

"I don't like Argus Filch much, he's embittered and he hates the students," said Severus, "But he has good reason to be embittered, and if I can help him at all, it means he can feel a little better in himself, and good cleaning products make his life easier, especially with some enchanted cleaning tools he can operate."

"And because we got together, a lot has come out of it," said Petunia. "I suspect Tassa is going to bully me something rotten if I get pregnant."

Severus laughed.

"Almost certainly," he said.

The bonding was amazing. Severus realised through its magic just how tenderly he felt towards Petunia now, which did not diminish in the least when her suddenly awakened magic blew him clear off the bed.

Petunia was giggling, half in embarrassment as much as at the figure he made, sprawled naked on the floor with a lampshade on his head and the shards of the shattered lamp around him.

"Woman," said Severus, "Come here."

Petunia jumped off the bed and into his lap with flattering alacrity, and Severus aparated them both back onto the bed.

"As that muggle quizmaster says, I've started so I'll finish," he smirked.

"Oh Severus! A big black chair to make love in would be so sexy," moaned Petunia. Severus lifted an eyebrow.

"I hope you prefer me to Nicholas Parsons," he said.

"Infinitely," said Petunia. "Give me a knickerless Snape any day."

"Woman!" he growled. It seemed to work to reduce her to a damp puddle.

Later, he cradled her.

"Did I do wild magic?" she asked.

"You did," he smirked at her.

"Oh my! I am going to have to learn to control it."

"That's the idea."

She suddenly stared at him.

"Would Harry ... and Dudley, I mean Marcus, have done such things?"

"Undoubtedly."

She was jumping off the bed to run to the ensuite, puking. Severus followed, stroking her back, holding the hair she was growing longer out of the way.

"Vernon would have killed them," she whispered.

"Vernon isn't here," said Severus. "You need never see him again. Would you like a calming draught?"

"Yes please."

Petunia reflected what a good job it was that she had left Vernon when Harry had been left with them. 

Lily Snape was born ten months later, and was the apple of her father's eye. And her brothers rolled their eyes and declared that at least she wouldn't be coming to school until they were in the top year and could ignore her.

And if Arthur Weasley suddenly paused and said,

"He _is_ Harry Potter, isn't he? And you're married to Lily's sister," then it wasn't as much of a shock as it would have been.

"You've seen how Dumbledore has been," said Severus. "He was ready to let Harry be abused by his uncle to buy him a compliant tool ready to die as the means to destroy the horcrux in his head. Oh, sorry, Arthur, I should fill you in a bit more about what Lucius and I have been up to in horcrux hunting."

Arthur was shocked when Severus explained.

"But ... to make that baby into a pawn ..."

"Quite. So I wanted Harry to grow up away from his influence, and not even knowing that he was Harry Potter, so there was no pressure on him. I'm going to start to explain the prophecy to him soon, and discuss it with him, because I'm not sure it even counts now the goblins have removed the horcrux and thus the mark of being Voldemort's equal. Lily's sacrifice should still hold some protection for him, but to my mind, top rank Goblin wards are better."

"Yes, quite," said Arthur. "I'm sorry he doesn't get on with our Ron as well as with the twins."

"I don't think they've got a lot in common," said Severus. "That's the way of life, which is why I don't approve of arranged marriages. Just because two sets of parents get along well doesn't mean their children will."

"No, quite," said Arthur. "May I tell Molly?"

"On condition that she doesn't change her manner to Harry, and doesn't tell anyone, especially Albus," said Severus. "And then you younger ones might as well join the classes in Malfoy Manor. During the school holidays we employ the older children from Hogwarts who have abuse at home to teach the little ones enough to prepare them for the wizarding world."

"There are abused children at Hogwarts?"

"Oh, please, Arthur, are you really that naive?" Severus managed not to sneer. "And it's not just death eater families either. It's the muggleborn whose parents don't accept them, the children of arranged marriages who have real problems and take it out on the kids, and other reasons why there is conflict with the parents," he said. "And this also includes the little girls who are their daddy's princess, where being a princess also involves their father's sexual advances."

Arthur looked sick.

"How can anyone treat their daughter like that?" he demanded.

"Why do you think Andromeda, Bellatrix and Narcissa Black all got married in a hurry, and why Narcissa is still conflicted about Bellatrix? Her sister protected her for as long as she could," said Severus. "Being blonde, she had fewer problems, her father liked them lush, dark and very young. It is unfortunate that Bella was also being groomed by Voldemort from her teens, but Narcissa still believes her protective big sister lives somewhere in that crazy bitch of a madwoman."

Arthur's eyes filled with tears.

"I have been blind!" he said.

"Looking for the best in people is a pleasant trait," said Severus. "Those of us who have been abused know what to look for. Don't make the mistake of believing Slytherin masks of sneering and arrogance to be signs that we think ourselves superior. For most of us, it's a protection so none of you bluff Gryffindors know how vulnerable a good minority of us truly are."

"I had no idea."

"No, I don't suppose you would."

It was amazing, thought Severus, that by getting unlikely people to talk to each other there was something rather splendid going on, outside of protecting Harry. Those holidaying children came from every house, and by giving them remedial lessons in their various specialities, the adults were able to help them to reach across house and blood status boundaries, and to bring them from the brink of failure at many classes, owing to their poor self image, to at least adequate, and in the case of a few to attain their full potential. In fact, the pupils who needed it were beginning to refer to the idyllic weeks at Malfoy Manor as 'Summer School', and some children who were not abused but who were failing for other reasons had asked to attend. The only thing that Severus regretted was that Dumbledore would get the credit for their grades! Naturally those who enjoyed learning were well ahead, and Percy Weasley had asked for extra tuition, so he might takes some OWLs early, and prepare for a Charms apprenticeship if Professor Flitwick would accept it. There were even a few goblins who came along for lessons, and the abused knew better than to pass on their abuse.

It was, however, only the Snape boys, Draco and Hermione and Griphook's son, known as Jack to the humans, who were trained assiduously in wandless magic, and, when Lucius found a book about it, Parsel magic. Petunia had taken to it like a duck to water, which led Severus to suspect that there was a link to Salazar Slytherin in the Evans family, rather than the power coming to Harry through Voldemort, and a little family tree digging proved his point.

Petunia took OWLs and NEWTs in runes, arithmancy, herbology and potions, gaining 'O' grades in all of them; and was able to replicate spells by the use of runic magic. It was not as fast, but on the other hand, when it came to things like cleaning house, it was faster than doing it by hand. And the bond meant she was also able to start learning to cast spells, and though it was harder, Severus insisted she learn wandlessly, at least at first. There was no telling what Ollivander might pass on to Dumbledore.

Narcissa joined Lily in the nursery two years later, and Lucius the next year. Severus had considered Claudius, after an uncle, until he heard Harry and Marcus referring to the new baby as 'Diplodocus' and rapidly asked Petunia if she could think of anything better. And Petunia had suggested naming the baby for Severus' old friend. It worked perfectly. And the time was coming up for the boys and their friends to start Hogwarts. They would all go to Diagon Alley

Chapter 7

Ollivander's eyes lit up.

"Mr. ..."

" _Snape,"_ hissed Severus.

"Er, yes, if you insist," said Ollivander. "I knew you weren't dead; I have just the wand for you, and a most remarkable wand it is, as it's brother is that of your arch-nemesis, He-who-must-not-be-named," said Ollivander. "Holly, with a phoenix feather core."

"No," said Severus. "The boy has healer tendencies; I'd have thought willow or hazel with a unicorn tail core would be better."

"I don't want any connection to that madman," said Harry, firmly. "I know which wand I want, it's that one," and he held out his hand to summon a box down. Ollivander gaped."

"You're showing off," said Marcus.

"No, I just know which one is calling to me, and it's that one," said Harry. Severus was always amazed at how serene Harry managed to be at all times. "And I'm not sure I'll use it, if Jack isn't allowed a wand at Hogwarts."

Severus didn't choke.

"We're taking Jack?" he asked.

"He's my friend," said Harry. "No Jack, no Harry."

"No Jack, no Marcus," said Marcus.

"No Jack, no Hermione," added Hermione.

Draco hesitated.

"No Jack, no Draco," he said. "And that would put them in a flat spin if we all homeschooled, as Dad is a governor."

"Why did I even think about making a speech about staying out of trouble? The lot of you are trouble incarnate," groaned Severus. "What is your wand, Harry?"

Harry opened the box and stroked it. "Willow; bends and does not break. Thestral mane core."

"Thestrals are bad luck!" said another boy in the shop

"Don't you ever read any books?" said Harry. "Thestrals are extraordinarily sensitive to health issues, they can smell them. And they are gentle creatures, merely associated with death because only those who have seen death can see them."

"And what has been happening in this poor child's life that he can see death?" demanded the woman with the other boy.

"He didn't say he can see them," said Severus. "But he has helped lay to rest a family member."

Tassa had asked for time off to nurse her dying grandmother, and all of the children had paid their last respects, and to Lucius' amazement had insisted on helping to bury the aged elf when she had died. "It's a more gentle introduction to death than many have had, madam."

Harry squeezed his father's hand, thanking him for both calling old Dessie a family member, and for covering up that he had seen his real mother die, something they had explored together with legilimensy when Harry had nightmares.

"Oh." The woman huffed slightly. "Come, Theodore, we must get you your wand later when the riffraff have cleared the shop."

"Oh dear," said Severus. "It will be hard on the boy if he doesn't even want to associate with Lucius Malfoy's only son, or with one of his professors. Such a shame we are so far below the family Nott, as I believe."

The boy looked up, his face burning, and mouthed,

"Sorry," silently.

"The Malfoy boy? Why, I had not realised. And his charming little friends, I do beg your pardon, there are so many halfbloods and muggleborn these days it's hard to know who is who."

"We're halfbloods," said Harry, an arm around Marcus.

"I'm muggleborn," said Hermione. "At your service, Madam Nott, Hermione Granger," and she dropped an exquisite little curtsey of just the right kind. Narcissa had been quite right, thought Severus, to insist on teaching the muggleborn girl wizarding etiquette.

Madam Nott looked unsure whether to applaud such exquisite courtesy or ignore it in horror. Her son bowed.

"Theodore, scion of the house of Nott, of no pretention to age or nobility," he said. "And may I say you do it better than Parkinson. Are you the oldest child of your family?"

"I'm an only child," said Hermione.

"Then may I suggest you introduce yourself as 'scion of the house of Granger, newly regaining magic."

"I like that," said Hermione. "Magic has to come from somewhere, it isn't going to turn up out of nowhere."

"Exactly, well done, Mr. Nott," said Severus. "And although I am married to a muggle, it has been determined that she is descended from Salazar Slytherin, which I count more of a distinction than if she came from an ancient and noble family."

"Well with the house of Potter dying out, and it being uncertain who is the heir to the House of Black, it's going to be irrelevant soon," shrugged Theodore Nott.

His mother looked outraged. Severus wondered whether Theodore would be one of his abused children in need of summer protection. He feared it might be so.

Madam Malkin almost went spare when the fearless four marched in their fifth member and demanded robes for Jack Griphook. Only the fact that Narcissa Malfoy was tolerating this made her comply. Narcissa Malfoy, and her protégé, Mrs. Petunia Snape, were good customers. Naturally, there was ire as soon as they stepped outside, and two hulking boys of about their own age shouted,

"Here, gobbo, whatya doin' in school robes?"

"He's going to school with us, Vincent," said Draco, who recognised Crabbe and Goyle.

"Cor!" said Goyle. "Can he keep up?"

"Yes," said Draco, who saw more interest than disgust in Goyle's face, and forebore to say that Jack would probably do better than Gregory Goyle would.

Crabbe, however, was not to be diverted, and he advanced on Jack.

"You take off them things right now, and apologise to your betters wot are above yer," he said.

"Do you really think you are above me with such ill educated speech?" asked Jack. Vincent advanced, and promptly fell over, since his own robes were glued to the street.

Severus sighed.

"So who was the author of the wordless and wandless sticking charm?" he asked.

"Me," said Hermione. "I don't like bullies."

"It was well done," sighed Severus. "Don't let me catch you bullying bullies in the corridors."

"No, sir," said Hermione, who quickly caught on to the idea that he was not to catch her. Not that he had forbidden her.

The fearless five avoided Ron Weasley on the train and collected Neville Longbottom, and discovering that he was afraid of being a squib interrogated him ruthlessly.

Neville found himself giving up the information that he had been bullied by his uncle, and dropped from high places to make his magic manifest, and that he was expected to work with his father's wand.

"Well then, you'll have to learn wandless magic really fast, because the wrong wand not only doesn't work as a focus, it works against you," said Harry. "Shut up, Hermione, he doesn't need the theory, you can drive him to sleep with it at bed time."

Hermione poked him, having opened her mouth. Harry knew the theory as well as she did, but Hermione did like to hold forth, and the three boys she thought of as her brothers sat on her firmly when she got too carried away.

"We need to grab Goyle to keep him out of Crabbe's way, and Nott to stop any big people bullying him," said Draco. This was accomplished, and if the fearless five were not about to let their three protégés into their inner circle, they did plan to ruthlessly befriend them.

"What house do you want?" asked Hermione.

"Gran expects me to be Griffindor," sighed Neville.

"Da expects me to be Slytherin," said Goyle.

"Same here," said Nott.

"You don't have to go with what your families want," said Hermione. "I want to go into Slytherin to shake it up, but then, I don't believe in a quiet life. If you're ready to be loyal to each other, the choice is obvious."

The three boys exchanged glances.

"Dad would kill me," said Theodore.

"And mine," said Gregory.

"And our dad is head of Slytherin house and can make sure you have somewhere safe to go in the holidays so you can stay out of their way," said Marcus. "He knows all about kids whose parents hurt them. So you go with what you want to do, and if you're in Slytherin or not, he'll look out for you. But I reckon you'd shine more in Hufflepuff. If I didn't have my twin, I'd go there."

"There's a lot in that," said Theodore. "Greg? Nev?"

"Yes, I'm for it," said Neville.

"Okay," said Greg.

The fearless five heaved a silent sigh of relief; they would not have to look after the three boys quite as much if they were in the house of loyalty. And Harry and Marcus planned to tell Severus as soon as possible that Neville did not have his own wand.

Hagrid was plainly looking for a child with a zig-zag scar and sighed audibly. Nobody gave the two boys with neat, dark hair tied back in ponytails a second glance. Harry's eyes had darkened over time, which Severus regretted slightly, but at least it hid his identity. They were now the dark green of malachite, and Marcus' eyes had gone completely black.

Dumbledore himself had come to meet the new first years, firmly twinkling at Jack and patting him on the head.

"I hope you will be able to keep up, my boy," he said.

"Oh, I'm sure I shall, sir," said Jack. Harry and Marcus exchanged a look. That had been an attempt to demoralise their friend. Dumbledore's seemingly aimless wand movements as he chatted to the first years were a pattern the boys had been taught; he was undoing any glamour spells. As there were no glamour spells to be undone, they had a hard time not laughing.

The sorting went well. Greg went into Hufflepuff to his evident relief as Crabbe was already in Slytherin. There were some hard stares when Hermione was sent to Slytherin, and even more when Jack, right behind her, joined her.

"Well met," said Hermione. "Hermione, scion of the Granger family, newly restored to magic."

"Well met," said Jack. "Jack, scion of Griphook's clan, thus attached to the noble Potter family."

The Slytherin already at the table sat up straight. They knew the right etiquette, so someone pure blooded had taught them. And attached to the noble Potter family could mean almost anything ... except that Potters were usually Gryffindors.

Being the pragmatists they were, the Slytherin decided, on the whole, to lie low and say nothing, and see what advantage could be extracted from this situation.

Having their head of house's twins was no big surprise, nor Draco Malfoy, but that Nott as well as Goyle had defected to Hufflepuff was a surprise.

House Slytherin was in for some interesting times.

The headmaster droned on about the third floor corridor being out of bounds, certain death, and other boring matters the children did not listen to, in anticipation of a feast. And when it came, they fell on it like locusts.

And having no horcrux, Harry felt no pain from Quirrel's regard; and as Severus had no dark mark, he noticed nothing either.

Chapter 8

It was extraordinary, thought Severus, that Dumbledore had not twigged to the fact that Harry was ... Harry. True he had been hatted as Hadrian Snape, and his eyes were darker, and his nose larger; he had no glasses, and he wore his black hair long, not in that birds' nest James Potter had seemed to consider adequate. Dudley had somehow managed to end up with hair that held auburn lights under the candles, and with his adoptive father's leanness counteracting his biological father's heavy bones and tendency to carry flesh, he actually looked almost more like a son of Lily and Severus, with the red from her hair, and the black eyes of his adoptive father.

Meanwhile, Ronald Weasley, Sean Finnegan and Dean Thomas were caught trying to access the part of the third floor which was out of bounds, and had apparently managed to find Fluffy, since Weasley was swearing in a way that would have Molly wash his mouth with soap, and sported a nasty bite on his leg. Severus did not think much of the supposed trap for Voldemort or his agent. It was likely to be Quirrel, who was being particularly obnoxious and trying to sneak around; why Dumbledore did not confront him, he had no idea.

Yes he did. Dumbledore had been trying to get hold of horcruces too.

He and Lucius had discovered two more; they had used muggle computer magic to track down the Riddle house, and consequently discovered the Gaunt shack, and sensing the thing was in there, Lucius had just reduced the hut, horcrux and all, with fiendfyre. And since that was a spell the ministry tracked by wand, he did it wandlessly, which Severus considered an impressive feat.

Narcissa had found the other one by accident; she had gone to the Black house in Grimmauld Place to make it habitable for Sirius Black, who was finally to be released from the healers. Kreacher had fawned round her, which had not pleased Narcissa, but in getting rid of the 'junk' the house elf spilled the story of Regulus Black. One more horcrux down. That was five. However many pieces the little jerk had split himself into, there could not be many more, but Dumbledore did not know this. He was looking for horcruces and for a boy with a scarred head.

Hogwarts was the only serious school for witches and wizards in Britain, but there were a number of small establishments, little more than homeschooling with the pooled resources of several families, or else dame schools which were often taught by siblings who had retired from business and had no families of their own. To all of these, Dumbledore offered a week's stay at Hogwarts, and a round robin Quidditch competition, no age restrictions for younger players, and the offer of helping those without enough pupils to combine and practise. It was a good idea. Harry was hot on a broom, like his biological father, even if Severus was not as quidditch mad. Severus had made sure to train both boys in flying, hoping that he would not take that skill from the lad when he made him his own. However it seemed more of an addition than a merging, and Harry had created a stir by pursuing the arrogant Ron Weasley when the wretched boy had grabbed a locket from the heavy-featured, sullen Millie Bulstrode, whilst Hermione comforted the hysterical girl. Harry had caught the locket which Ron dropped, at a distance above the ground which Severus crossly told him gave him white hairs.

Harry stared pointedly at Severus' midnight black hair.

"It was her great grandmother, Violetta's," said Harry. "Millie only barely remembers her, but she was kind to her."

"And the rest of her family isn't?" Severus raised an eyebrow.

"Deatheater family. I told her you'd look after her, and she cried on me," said Harry. "She gets teased because she's kinda heavy-boned and her face isn't pretty like some of them. But she's been good to Hermione and they're allies against Parkinson who is a bitch."

"Language," said Severus. "I have reasons to think that Parkinson has reasons to be a bitch, but I'm not about to tell you about them. Just make sure you let people know, in passing as it were, that I'm here to talk to about parents who might be ...difficult."

"Okay," said Harry. "Mark 2 said I should ask if I can be on the team."

Mark 2 was the family name for Marcus Flint, one of Severus' many lost boys.

"I'm afraid not," said Severus. "I know," as he saw Harry's face fall. "You'll have to make do with knockabout games until next year, I'm not making an exception for anyone."

"Are you afraid people will accuse you of favouritism?" asked Harry.

"No, Harry. I ... I'm afraid Dumbledore will get to see you fly and will recognise something of your biological father's style, and will try to put you into danger."

"Oh," said Harry. He and Marcus had been given the full story, together with Draco, Hermione and Jack, including the prophecy, which was, they agreed, tosh. It seemed odd to think of Marcus ever being called a wuss name like Dudley. "I think he wants to tempt me out from cover to go after the Philosopher's Stone, if it's really there. He was chatting to various firsties and saying about how James Potter could never resist a challenge. It was when he negated Uncle Argus's detention on those Gryffindor buffoons."

"Oh dear, up to his old tricks," sighed Severus.

"I'm sorry you lost my other mother, but I guess I've had the best of the deal," said Harry. "I have a twin, and the best dad in the world, not an arrogant little rule-breaker like James Potter. And I love mum."

"It hasn't worked out too badly," Severus smirked. "I take it that you consider going after the Philosopher's Stone is a bad idea."

"Well, if he's hidden it with serious intent, an eleven year old isn't going to find it, even with the the fearless five," said Harry. "And if it's a trap to find Harry Potter, I have no intention of falling into his devils' snare. And if it is with serious intent, and each teacher set a part of it like Hagrid let slip, well, then your part is going to poison someone."

"My part is a riddle over which potion gets you through a curtain of fire, which is harmless, which is poison and which portkeys you right away," said Severus.

"And if I know you, they're all either liquid portkeys into an oubliette, or poison which is slow enough acting to reverse if it is a student stupid enough to try," said Harry.

"Hogwarts doesn't have an oubliette," protested Severus.

"Well, make one with runes and arithmancy; I think I know how," said Harry. "And then you could have them fetched out by house elf if they need to."

"It's not a half bad idea," said Severus, in admiration. Dumbledore had vetoed him making all the potions poisonous, and that would be an excellent alternative. And the one to permit the drinker beyond the fire might then contain ... the draught of living death, activated by the heat negation. Yes, that would work. Harry was right, it should be more dangerous. He ground his teeth. It really was a testing ground for Harry Potter; except the senile old coot expected any Harry Potter to be like James Potter. Which if he had been cowed by either Vernon, or, as Dumbledore hinted he believed, a muggle orphanage, then he was hardly likely to ... ah, unless Dumbledore played the self sacrifice card and made it duty.

He went to talk to the castle about making an oubliette.

The round robin matches were much enjoyed. The visitors from small schools were largely outclassed, but a good time was had by all.

And Dumbledore summoned Severus to his office.

"My dear boy," said Dumbledore, without a twinkle. "I fear that Harry Potter is truly missing. I cannot see any small school excluding him from their team, and I know he was crazy for his toy broom when he was a baby. We have to assume he has been taken by less friendly forces."

"Are you convinced he is alive?"

"Oh, yes. The goblins will not let me touch his account, and it has not been turned over to the Ministry."

"Nor should it; if he is dead, it should go to his next nearest relative, which in the wizarding world is Andromeda Tonks," said Severus. "Unless James specified an entail."

Dumbledore shook his head.

"No, there was no entail," he said.

"Then perhaps you should investigate the reason behind the names which come into the book of the magically active, and then disappear. You've always claimed they can't all be being murdered by their relatives. But have you considered other possibilities?"

"I am open to suggestion if you have any," Dumbledore's voice was strained and thin. Severus smiled.

"I have noted that it is almost impossible to cast magic in the vicinity of an electrical sub-station; a place where electricity is concentrated before being shared out to a number of blocks of houses. Anyone living near there would have their magic leached. They tend to be built in areas which are less than salubrious; as a result of which orphanages are more likely to be near them."

"I had no idea!" Dumbledore was shocked.

"I did try to tell you when I was first teaching, and was concerned by the number of children vanishing from the book," said Severus. "But you were too preoccupied with one boy to care about the other lost children."

Some of the other lost children were being tracked down by Lucius as it happened.

"Well, it's something to look at," said Dumbledore.

"There is also counter-ritual," said Severus.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Counter-ritual," said Severus. "I get the heeby-jeebies in my magical core by some, note _some_ churches. If he did survive and was adopted, and started firing off the usual uncontrolled magic, a religious family might have him confined in a strict private boarding school where he is made to do penance for his 'evil manifestations'."

"Surely people are not so medieval these days? What you describe is something I might expect to find in the middle ages, but ..."

"The backlash to both a loss in faith in the greater part of the population and the permissive society of the 1960s has been to seek often quite controlling religion and cults, many of them barely recognised by any mainstream church. But there are often news items in the muggle world detailing atrocities in various religious orphanages," said Severus. "God help any child left in the hands of religious bigots with twisted sanctity at the centre of their beliefs."

"I am most disturbed, Severus," said Dumbledore.

"I've been most disturbed by the whole question for many years, Albus," said Severus.

"Severus, what I fear is that Voldemort accidentally left a part of himself in the child's head when the killing curse bounced," said Dumbledore. "You are the only person who truly understands darkness well enough for me to trust with this information."

"You'd do better to trust the DMLE which probably knows more about darkness than I do," said Severus. "Really, old man, did you think when I was suckered into the deatheaters that they let me see the full horror of what they stood for right away? I was just beginning to be invited to watch, which alerted me to the fact that there was something truly disturbing about them when I realised what he meant by the Potters. I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I haven't actually even killed anyone, let alone taken part in debauched orgies. If the boy had a part of Riddle in his head, why the HELL didn't you take him to St Mungos to get the best curse breakers on it? Did you take a wounded baby with some kind of soul splinter in him directly to muggles, regardless of whether it killed him, or caused him to be possessed, or caused him subsequent headaches or anything? Are you senile?"

"I thought that if he had a connection we could use it to track Voldemort and have some idea what he was up to."

"The word you are looking for, other than moronic idiocy, is hubris," said Severus.

"You are losing your respect for me."

"I lost that when you lost Harry Potter," sneered Severus.

"You will search for him."

"I will not."

Dumbledore's eyes narrowed.

"If you fail to cooperate I could turn you in as a deatheater."

"On what evidence?"

"On the evidence of your own left arm."

Severus rolled up his sleeve to show the smooth flesh. Dumbledore cast an anti-glamour.

"Then ... is he truly dead? I find it hard to believe."

"No, old man, I know better curse breakers than you do," said Severus. "But I can answer truly under veritaserum that I have never killed anyone, raped or tortured anyone. Can you say the same?"

"Get out."

Severus nodded.

"I'll be here for the boy if you find him. But I am a family man, and I'm not going to risk my family life by spending all my time searching for a boy who has been abandoned by the wizarding world from the moment he was orphaned, abandoned, manipulated and left to die or become dark because you had to play god."

"I made a mistake; you know about that," said Dumbldore. Severus froze.

"Yes. Yes, I do," he said. "But you have order members without family ties, and I still won't do it. I've given you ideas you could have had years ago if you hadn't told me to _stop maundering on about trivialities_ when I expressed my concerns about disappearing students. I think if you had made one mistake, it would be easier to feel for you about this, but you have continually refused to listen when I and other people have mentioned things which ought to have been a red rag to a bull. Like how Vernon Dursley reacted to Lily. You ought not need to be told that nobody leaves a baby outside overnight in winter. I don't know what other people have told you, but you have certainly consistently ignored my suggestions and advice with regard to the children in my care. You consistently ignored the bad behaviour of the Marauders; and you do the same with regards to the Weasley boy and his friends. I wager if it had been three Slytherin, you would have had them begging not to be expelled, but no, you tell Ronald Weasley that he's cut in the same mould as heroic James Potter. Which is why he got a howler because I wrote to Molly. I'm getting sick of it. I won't be a part of your ploy to cover your arse. Good afternoon." And he swept out.

Chapter 9

Severus had called for Petunia to floo in for Halloween, something they had made a ritual of, with his rooms carefully warded, and this year Harry brought Neville with him and Draco and Hermione came along too, with Millie Bulstrode.

"Millie's great grandmother died at Halloween, though it's not the same, it's not fun for her either," said Hermione.

Severus nodded.

"I've got our private feast spread; we celebrate the short lives of those who died and toast them," he said "To those we have lost. Violetta Bulstrode; James Potter; Lily Evans Potter; Remus Lupin." He had taken to including the wolf. He added, "To those who gave more than their lives. Frank Longbottom; Alice Long bottom."

They raised their glasses in a toast.

"You don't include Harry Potter?" asked Millie.

"I don't believe he's dead," said Severus.

Neville had big fat tears running down his face.

"Oh, sir, I thought you were rather hard and stern, but that was just b...beautiful," he said. Severus sighed, and drew the little boy into his arms, soothing him.

"Neville, when you lose someone to death, it hurts like hell, but in time, you can work through the grief and move on," he said. "You are in the terrible position of having your parents dead to you and yet watching them living a terrible travesty of life. I do understand. And yes, I am stern and hard in class, which is why, in the ten years I have been teaching, I have never had to add a student to my Halloween litany. Which is more than can be said of most potion teachers. It is the most dangerous art in magic, but one which cannot be learned purely in theory." He shot a look at Hermione, who had posed the rather pompous opinion as an eight year old that if potions was so dangerous it should be taught only in theory until the students were sixteen. He explained to Neville as he had explained to her, "There is something called 'muscle memory' which allows your hands to learn the different ways in which ingredients must be prepared; and how to stir with certain stirrers and feeling viscosity. It would be like learning to play quidditch by reading a book on it. And you are so good at herbology that you ought to be good at potions."

"Oh, sir! You remind me of my gran, who is awfully stern," said Neville. "But I won't ever be scared of you again; you give cuddles, and I never knew what cuddles were like."

"Augusta Longbottom is a stiff-necked old ..."

"Severus!" said Petunia.

"...woman," said Severus with an innocent look.

"Can I come to you when I feel bad, sir?" asked Neville."

"Of course you may," said Severus. "You're my sons' friend. I count that as being an honourary snake."

Neville managed half a giggle.

"Thank you," he said.

"Just don't ever rat me up, that I have a soft centre," said Severus. "Now; in the spirit of joining with our missing loved ones, let us eat, and welcome them to our family feast. All Hallows Eve as it should be celebrated, not pumpkins and sweeties."

"Tell us about the traditions, please?" asked Hermione.

"First, before the Christians arrived, it was Samhain," said Severus. "A time when it was believed that the dead and living were very close. A time to propitiate or atone for any wrongs to those who had passed over, and leave them gifts of food. Such gifts were also for the fae spirits who were, and are, wild and capricious. Turnip lanterns were carved, and people wore masks to frighten them away, and confuse them, so they would not steal those souls they coveted. Nowadays we know that a good ward keeps such errant spirits at bay more than the primitive attempts to confuse them."

"They exist then?" asked Hermione.

"They do, and those families who have fae blood in their bloodlines like the Malfoys are particularly at risk," said Severus. "When you are older we shall have a Samhain bonfire outside and hold a proper silent supper to honour our dead, but I have a bad feeling about being out and about tonight. And we shall dance and invite the spirits to dance with us. It is also a traditional time for divination, but Professor Dumbeldore has forgotten that, or he might have harnessed powers outside of his rather limited outlook."

"I thought he was the most powerful wizard on earth," said Millie.

"He is. But it does not mean that he is wise," said Severus. "I do not cite disrespect towards him, but you would do well to remember that he does not know everything, and he is not Merlin, whatever he believes."

Millie nodded.

"I see, sir," she said.

"What happened with Christianity?" asked Draco.

"Well, the early Christians were quite clever, and tacked the important events of their year to existing Celtic ceremonies," Severus explained. "Like Easter, which borrowed from the celebration of the spring goddess, Eostre. All Hallows Eve and All Souls the following day naturally fell in with Samhain."

"Which do you believe, sir?" asked Millie.

Severus pondered.

"I believe in the power of taking responsibility for yourself, not in palming it off onto some supernatural being or beings." He smiled. "On the other hand, I'm a Slytherin, so I'm ready to hedge my bets, and propitiate the old gods because the new one accepts a deathbed confession and repentance."

"Now, Severus!" said Petunia. He smiled at her.

"In truth, I believe there is something more. I don't know what, and it's not my place to speculate to my students," said Severus. "What was that?"

That was someone screaming outside,

" _Troll!"_

"Troll? What nonsense is this?" muttered Severus. "Likely it's Trelawney on too much cheap sherry with her head stuck in a cookie jar because she got lost, and it can only improve her looks."

"Severus! In front of the children!"

"They know how I feel about the old fraud," said Severus, swirling his robes behind him as he went in search of the origin of the uproar.

Prefects were hustling juniors to their commonrooms.

"Oh sir!" Marcus Flint was relieved. "Professor Quirrel said there's a troll in the dungeon!"

"Not the way I came," said Severus. "I assure you, all Gryffindors are banned the dungeon."

This feeble sally was enough to make most of the younger Slytherin laugh, and Marcus Flint and the other prefects gave their head of house a grateful glance. Severus waved them through, and headed towards the great hall. And then diverted towards the sound of thuds, and a muffled scream. He started sprinting at that point. He was glad he had done so, as the shrieks became more hysterical, and he could find his way by the smell of the troll. Apparently it was in a girls' toilet, and dodging about to avoid its club was one of the Patil twins. Padma, his brain added at some point, seeing the dark blue and bronze on her robe.

"Left, Miss Patil," said Severus. Trolls were resistant to magic, but they were not resistant to a tripwire summoned from the wand. Padma tripped to the left, and as the troll swung round to follow, it tripped on Severus' wire, braining itself on the sinks.

"Incarcerous," said Severus, binding the wretched creature. "Are you hurt, Miss Patil?"

"N ... no, sir, thank you."

"What on earth are you doing in here? Couldn't you wait until you got into Ravenclaw tower?"

"N .. no, sir, I mean, it wasn't like that, I ... nobody comes in here because of the ghost, I came here to get away. What is that thing? Is it a troll?"

"Well it's not wearing Gryffindor robes, so I suppose that's the only other explanation for anything so dim-witted and violent," said Severus.

Padma gave a burst of hysterical laughter.

"May I repeat that to my sister?" she said. Severus raised an eyebrow at her tone of bitterness.

"Ah, I wondered if she and Miss Brown were responsible for your unwontedly lachrymose state," he said.

"I beg your pardon?"

"I said I thought it might be your sister and her friend who made you cry."

"They said I was nothing but a swot who didn't know how to have fun."

"Well, Miss Patil, as one swot to another, I can't think of much better fun than chasing down a juicy bit of research, or reading." Said Severus. "I think we need to restore you to Professor Flitwick, unless you fear being bullied by your house mates?"

"How did you know, sir?" Padma gasped, wide-eyed at the oracle in front of her. Severus gave a wintry smile.

"Let's just say that I have noted that many Ravenclaws exhibit some of the negative characteristics of my own house without holding the positive quality of house solidarity," he said. "Come with me; several of your year mates are having a private party with me, as they are people for whom Halloween is merely a memory of ... lost loved ones."

"It seems a weird sort of party," admitted Padma.

"We are following old traditions, but you are welcome," said Severus. "I am sure someone will come and clear up the rubbish in the toilet." Smuggling her back down to the dungeon was not easy, but he managed it.

"Padma had a nasty experience with a troll," he said.

"Parvati and Lavender getting at you again?" asked Neville.

"Yes," said Padma.

Harry and Marcus exchanged a look.

"Twin power," said Harry. They touched knuckles.

"I don't want to know," said Severus, hastily. "I'd better go and let someone know that there's a troll in Moaning Myrtle's toilet, and calm down the rest of my little snakes. I'll let Flitters, er, Professor Flitwick know where you are, Miss Patil."

oOoOo

Once the troll had been removed, and Severus had a quiet word with Flitwick, he was about to return to his quarters when Dumbledore said sharply,

"Where's Quirinius?"

"Dear me, I'm not the horrid little man's keeper," said Severus.

"I strongly suspect him of working for Tom," said Dumbledore, in an undertone. "You know he's supposed to be good at controlling trolls; suppose he arranged this as a diversion to get into ... where it's hidden?"

"Then I suggest you just arrange for the elves to take the feast to the common rooms and let the children calm down," said Severus.

"Severus, I was called to the Ministry, but fortunately, I floo'd to check a fact and found that in fact no such call had happened. He was trying to get me out of the castle, and now he is after the stone."

"He won't get it though," said Severus.

"What do you mean?" the question was asked sharply. "You didn't disobey me and make all the potions poison, did you?"

"No, not at all," Severus grinned. "I merely made all of them liquid portkeys. The portrait of Salazar Slytherin persuaded the castle to make a, er, oubliette. I should think by now Quirinius should be in it, listening perforce to the music of a muggle rock star called David Bowie."

"Sometimes I find you very hard to understand, Severus."

"Yes, Albus, but I have my bad points."

"How do we get him out of the, er, oubliette?"

"House elf apparition. They are powerful enough not to lose him. And for goodness sake, take that disgusting turban off him. I think he has something dead underneath it."

"I fear you speak truer than you know," said Albus, sadly.

A pair of sturdy house elves delivered the incandescently furious Quirinius Quirrel to Dumbledore.

"Severus! I followed your riddle precisely!" Quirrel cried.

"Yes, of course you did," said Severus. "What, did you think that it was a game we were playing with the philosopher's stone? It was only ever bait for old mouldy shorts."

There was a hiss from the back of the turban.

"You traitor!" It hissed.

Severus raised his arms and began to chant. He was chanting in Parseltongue and the hiss on the back of the DADA professor rose to a shriek. Severus was grinning. Quirrel slumped to the floor, and a thick, oily cloud issued from his turban. It tried to attack Severus, but with a hiss he defended , and with a despairing shriek, it rushed out of the window.

"Severus, was that parseltongue?"

"Yes, Albus, as you very well know. If you can learn it, so can I; and when I realised it can undo his curses, I thought it was worth while to do so."

"Severus! Do you mean you believe there is an option to remove a horcrux from Harry Potter, not sacrifice him to be sure of killing Voldemort finally?"

"Of course I believe that," said Severus. "I give you information and you disregard it."

"That's not quite fair."

"No, perhaps not. Is Quirinius dead?"

"No, I think not. Will you help me take him to Poppy?"

"Only if he's restrained. I want to know how willingly he accepted his possession."

"I agree."

"Hell froze over; you agreed with me."

"I don't contradict you for fun, my boy."

Severus resisted the urge to say 'you could have fooled me'. The sooner Quirrel was in the hospital, the sooner he could get back to his family.

Chapter 10

"He's gone again, but not for good," said Severus to Petunia, when the younger children were tucked up for the night, and the school age children had departed to their respective dormitories. "It was a cohesive force. If he hadn't had at least one horcrux left, he would have died, and dissipated."

"Where else might we look?" asked Petunia.

"Master Severus ought to be asking Tassa," said Tassa, her small arms folded.

"Tassa! You know?"

"Tassa can make a good guess," said the elf. "Tom Riddle liked being at school. All the elveses say so. And he left things where he thought was important."

"That's a lot of Hogwarts to search," said Severus.

Tassa shook her head.

"No, Master Severus! The elveses here have a place they use to store stuff called the come-and-go room because it appears when you need it, and students use it to hide stuff."

"Good grief," said Severus. "Show me?"

Tassa grabbed his hand, and Severus found himself in a passage by the tapestry of ballet-dancing trolls. He shuddered. Trolls were not his favourite creatures right now.

"Master walks up and down three times, thinking about what he wants; like a room Tom Riddle hid the thing," said Tassa.

"How extraordinary!" said Severus. He did as Tassa directed, and a door appeared! He went inside.

It looked as though everything anyone would ever want to hide was in there, from mouldy sandwiches to a pile of 'Playwizard' magazines, from a brand new Ravenclaw scarf tied around some books, to a book which looked as though it might contain some rather dark arts. Severus stopped to check the books and found the name 'Padma Patil' inscribed in the girl's neat script.

"Fifty points from Gryffindor," he said. "Someone is going to be scrubbing cauldrons for a few weeks. I wonder what I'm looking for?"

Tassa began sniffing.

"Can Master Severus put something over the dark book, please? It's upsetting Tassa's evil sniffing."

Severus threw a quilt – a quilt?- over the book and Tassa moved into the room, and then gave a squeak of triumph.

"Don't touch it," said Severus. "Here," he conjured dragonhide gloves.

"Master Severus is giving Tassa clothes?" asked Tassa.

"No, I wouldn't do that to you; I'm lending you protective gear to do the job for me," said Severus.

Tassa brightened.

"Oh, that's all right then," she said, putting on the gloves. Severus was glad that Tassa could operate under a sophistry so dodgy it edged into casuistry. She reached up for the diadem.

"Take it directly to Griphook," said Severus.

"Yes, master! Master Severus provides Tassa with protection," said Tassa.

Severus picked up Padma's belongings, feeling a little anticlimactic. Well, the duties of a schoolmaster went on, and he came out of the room.

"Point me the last person to touch these before me," he said. His wand led him, as he expected to Gryffindor Tower.

"What do you want,?" asked a rather tipsy fat lady.

"I'd like to see Minerva," said Severus.

Minerva McGonagall came out, in a tartan dressing gown.

"What is it, Severus?" she asked.

"I'd like to see Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown in my office half an hour before breakfast," said Severus.

"May I ask why?"

"For bullying, and theft," said Severus.

"If one of your snakes tells you they stole anything, your snake is lying," said Minerva.

"Oh, none of my snakes had to tell me anything," said Severus. "They nearly got Padma Patil killed because she missed the feast and was found by the troll; and they had hidden her books in the er, come-and-go room, where she could not be expected to find them if not privy to its secrets."

Minerva paled.

"You are certain it was them?"

"I know it was they who reduced her to tears; I've seen them bullying her before, too. And when I found her missing books, I used the point-me spell to whoever last touched them. It brought, me here. Unless you can think of any other lions likely to be bullying a little fledgling eagle, I draw my own conclusions."

"I see. They will be in your office tomorrow. Do you want to use my floo to take those to Filius, to save a long walk?"

"I wouldn't mind. It's been an eventful evening."

oOoOo

Padma cried in sheer relief when Flitwick returned her books.

"It was Professor Snape who found them," he told her.

"He is very kind, isn't he?" said Padma.

"It is a wise person who can see past the exterior of any man and discern what he is truly like," squeaked Flitwick, who was also delighted that Severus had made a stand over accepting a full blood goblin like Jack in the school.

oOoOo

Lavender and Parvati skipped breakfast because they were too busy sobbing. Three weeks of detentions was hard to bear, but that their thoughtlessness might have had them sent to Azkaban for murder if the troll had killed Padma was what was weighing on their minds. Severus had never mentioned Azkaban or murder; just asked them what they thought would happen to them if Padma had died.

They were subdued for the rest of term, which suited Severus very well.

Tassa had returned, elated, and gave him back the gloves, which she had carried not worn, and Severus had floo'd Lucius to tell him the good news.

That morning, Lucius floo'd Severus, just as he had got rid of the two repentant first years, and he was practically dancing.

"You'd better come through before the ants in your pants turn into fire ants," said Severus rudely.

Lucius came through and executed a jig .

"You finally lost it," said Severus.

"Nope. I went to see Rosier; and the mark has gone, all but the faintest of scaring," said Lucius. "Not the fading that happened the first time Harry killed him. We've done it; we got all his horcruces. Well done!"

Severus heaved a sigh of relief.

"It doesn't get rid of his beliefs, nor his followers, but at least there's no figurehead, and only you charismatic enough to be one," he said.

"Never; I'm through with that idiocy," said Lucius. "And what's more, Narcissa is finally pregnant again."

"Congratulations!" said Severus.

"We think it was one of those damned dark artefacts in the Black house, exerting its control on all Blacks," said Lucius. "Preventing those who married outside the family from having more than one child. No wonder Walburga and Druella were able to have more, and Andi and Cissie only had one each."

"Did you warn the Tonks family?"

Lucius grinned evilly.

"I thought it might be a nice surprise for them," he said. "Sirius refuses to have Kreacher near him, so as the poor little bastard helped significantly with the locket, Cissie has taken him on and we can persuade one of the others to help out Andi and Ted if they need it. How do we tell Dumbledore?"

"Why don't we just go up and let him know?"

"You like to live dangerously."

"Sometimes, I just like to pull his tail."

oOoO

"Lucius? To what do I owe this pleasure?" Dumbledore did not look pleased. "We are going to be late for breakfast, and I have to announce that we have already lost our DADA teacher."

"He died?" Severus blinked. "You thought he would live."

"He did live, and he is about as much use as a chocolate cauldron," said Dumbledore. "Poor fellow has fallen apart. He wasn't possessed willingly, and I doubt he'll have a long life, but I said he should take a sabbatical when he is well enough to do so. I can only hope he isn't possessed again."

"He can't be," said Severus. "We dropped by to tell you that our horcrux hunting has been successful and the last one was found and destroyed last night, and the disembodied spirit of Voldemort fell apart. Lucius went looking at dark marks."

"They'll heal to nothing," said Lucius. "It doesn't take away the attitudes but it does leave them without a leader."

Lucius was later to thank Severus for the chance to see Dumbledore's face when Severus made that bald statement about horcruxes. The headmaster sat down heavily.

"But ... but Harry! Or was he the last? Have you killed him?" he asked harshly.

"Do you really take me for someone who would kill a child?" asked Severus.

"Or me?" said Lucius.

"I hardly know what to think."

"Harry's horcrux was the first one destroyed, with a ritual," said Severus, "and the goblins told me what it was. And I left him to grow up anonymously and unknown without having to live up to a dodgy prophecy that only meant something because Tommy Riddle was a superstitious muggle-raised son of a cauldron who believed in things like that."

"Bless my soul!" Dumbledore sat back. "And you've been scheming behind my back – why?"

"Because I thought you were prepared to sacrifice Lily's son to the greater good, and I cared for him and don't give a fuck for the greater good," said Severus.

"Honest, I suppose. Is ... is he Marcus?"

Severus laughed.

"No, he's Hadrian, and Marcus is his cousin. Petunia and I married, to protect the boys at first, and did an adoption ritual when Harry was free of the horcrux. She's going to love making you eat crow for turning her down for Hogwarts too; she's taken OWLs and NEWTs at the ministry, and she has O-grade in NEWTs in arithmancy, runes, herbology and potions. She had enough magic to get a cauldron to work before we did the bonding ceremony."

"I believe I might skip breakfast," said Dumbledore. "I'm not sure I could face food. Well, Severus, you have rubbed my face in every mistake I ever made. Do you demand my resignation?"

"I don't demand anything, Albus. I just ask that you listen to what people say from time to time before letting your imagination do the planning," said Severus.

Fawkes gave a triumphant squawk.

"Even the phoenix agrees with you," said Dumbledore. "Very well, Severus. Tell me what you want, and you shall have it."

"I want the governors and the faculty to make sure there are places for abused children to go during the holidays, and for them to have the option to name a teacher or the school as a whole as their guardian not their parents," said Severus. "I want them to have the opportunity to meet with such family members as they wish to, in a safe and supervised place. I want the school to be more ready to ask for investigations into home life. I want the muggleborn and muggle raised to be contacted at the age of seven or eight to begin acquainting them with the wizarding world, and get their parents used to it, and if need be to take them into the custody of the wizarding world, again with contact if they and their parents wish it. I am sick of children failing and being bullied because they do not know the basics of our society or how to use a quill pen, or even that it is important to channel their thoughts down it as a side lesson on how to use a wand. I want the Wizgamot to enshrine it in law that the ministry can never interfere in the school but I expect that might be outside of reality."

"My goodness, Severus, you have thought it out very thoroughly. Do you really think these measures will help?"

"Albus, if you truly want muggleborn to succeed, you will stop trying to turn the wizarding world into the muggle world with magic," said Lucius. "It doesn't work; their culture is based on electricity and computers. Ours is based on magic, and on an etiquette which keeps us from getting involved in wand battles in public. We need to teach about muggle culture but the muggleborn will not be given respect to talk about their ideas until they show they can live in wizarding culture." He added, "Severus and I have learned a lot about muggle culture when we were tracking down horcruxes, and it really is different enough that it might as well be a foreign country. Muggle studies are laughable, taught and examined by people who know nothing about muggles. A culture adjustment class might be good, to help people reconcile differences in their first year. It was your policy of favouring muggleborn which made so many people choose Voldemort, before he went so insane, when what he was offering was a chance not to lose our culture and become slaves to muggles, which is what many of us truly feared."

"Good gracious!" Dumbledore was shocked. "I ... I always meant well."

"Next time you mean well, ask someone who isn't a sycophant if your plans are good or not," said Lucius. "I can help you politically and we can make you the hero who directed our hunt for unspecified dark artefacts but only if you meet me, er, us, halfway."

"I have little choice," said Dumbledore, brightening at the idea of being the hero.

"We need you as a figurehead; and a powerful wizard who is still respected," said Severus. "Because there are still deatheaters who are not going to lie down and accept it."

"And if you will engage in a program where pure bloods do not feel threatened, I might even be able to talk some of them into supporting you," said Lucius. "Not many of us liked what Voldemort had become, you know. With notable exceptions."

"The Lestrange ménage," said Dumbledore with disgust.

"Inbreeding," shrugged Lucius. "Personally I'm hoping Draco marries that nice muggleborn child in his year; that ought to deal with the bad heritance."

"And that, Lucius, has me wholeheartedly ready to accept your plan," said Dumbledore, suddenly twinkling again. "Because that shows me that you really are thinking of the future of the wizarding world, not of the pure bloods of the wizarding world."

"Blood, when it comes down to it, makes no odds," said Lucius. "There's the Gaunt family, mad as hatters, and Lily and Petunia Evans with as much claim to be Slytherin's heir as Tom Riddle because they descend from the Peverells in the sixteenth century. Either you have magic or you don't."

"I think I might be hungry after all," said the headmaster.

Finis.


End file.
